Preventive measures so far against coronavirus in Catalonia, Barcelona and Spain

As the number of people diagnosed with coronavirus in Catalonia rose to 181 on Wednesday, with the number for Spain as a whole going up to 2,109, the authorities began introducing more measures to try and control the spread of the virus. 

Catalonia

On Wednesday morning, the Catalan government introduced a number of measures to combat the spread of coronavirus, warning that there will be more to come in the future.

• All public events of more than a thousand people must be suspended or postponed.

• Public events with fewer than a thousand people must limit attendance to a third of the venue's capacity.

• All sports events, professional and amateur, must be held behind closed doors. However, in those involving children, the adults accompanying them will be allowed to attend.

• While schools in Catalonia for the moment remain open, the education department has ordered a halt on activities taking place outside schools that involve more than one center.

• The Catalan education minister also said on Wednesday that schools should cancel any activities involving large numbers of children. 

Barcelona

The Barcelona city council also introduced preventive measures on Wednesday, with mayor Ada Colau calling on residents to "lower the pace of the city" to a minimum and to put off non-essential activities in the next few days.

• The council will close 58 daycare centers for the elderly until March 27, as senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to the Covid-19 disease.

• Activities in some of the city's main public facilities, such as cultural centers, libraries, and sports centers, will be limited.

• Municipal telehomecare services will also be reinforced for elderly and dependent people who live alone.

Spain

The Spanish authorities also introduced a series of preventive measures on Tuesday that apply to all of its autonomous communities, including Catalonia. 

• All direct flights from Italy to Spain for the next two weeks have been suspended, as Italy is the origin of most of the cases reported.

• All trips organized by the Imserso agency (Spain's institute for senior citizens) have been canceled, due to the elderly being one of the most at-risk groups.

• People off work due to infection or being confined can claim occupational sick pay from the first day, allowing them 75% of their salary, rather than 60% for the first 20 days.

• All sports events on Spanish territory will be played behind closed doors.

• All leisure and cultural events with fewer than 1,000 people must reduce attendance to a third of the venue's capacity.